Irish voters went to the polls on Friday in snap elections, and have delivered their (former) government a well-deserved electoral kicking. Fianna Fáil, Ireland's default party of government, who had responded to the financial crisis with a no-questions-asked bailout of the banks followed by a crippling austerity program which drove the Irish economy into the ground, were massacred, losing 75% of their MPs. The Greens, who had been their partners in crime, have been utterly wiped out. As for the new government, a Fine Gael-Labour coalition, their first move looks to be renegotiating the EU / IMF "rescue package" which is strangling their economy. They're also planning a full inquiry into their predecessor's corrupt bank bailout, which saw the Irish people carrying the bag for risky (and in some cases illegal) behaviour by bankers.
As electoral revenge goes, its pretty comprehensive, and some are asking whether Fianna Fáil will ever recover. But that's what happens when you sell out your voters to a bunch of bankers: they kick your arse out on the street.
